CR.ii>iiw&ao 

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Duke  University  Libraries 
A  bill  requirin 
Conf  Pam  #270 

DTTD27t]tiM. 


[House  of  Representatives,  No.  341.] 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTIVE3,  January  20, 1865.— Read  first 
nnd  second  timeR  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  the  Judiciary. 
March  2,  1865. — Reported  back  with  amendment,  laid  on  the  table 
and  ordered  to  be  printed. 

[By  Mr.  Herbert. 


A.  BILL 

Requiring  suit  to  be  brought  against  persons  connected  with  the 
Cotton  Bureau  and  Cotton  Office  in  Texas. 

1  Whereas,  It  is  represented  that  certain  persons  conducting 

2  or  connected  with  the  business  of  a  cotton  bureau  and  a  cotton 

3  ofiice,  80  called  in  the  State  of  Texas,  claiming  to  act  under  au- 

4  thority  derived  from  thisgovern-nent,  or  from  the  general  com- 

5  manding  the  Trans-Mississippi   Military  Department,  or  from 

6  some   other  officer  of  the  government,  have,  by  themselves  or 

7  their  agents,  purchased  or  obtained  large  amounts  of  cotton 

8  under  color  of  such  authority,  and  by  the  use  of  the  money,  prop- 

9  erty,  transportation  and  name   of  the  government  made  great 

10  gains,  and  have  illegally  exacted  and  procured  from  sundry  per- 

1 1  sons   large  amounts   of  cotton   and   large  sums  of  money,  by 

12  threatening  impressments,  and  by  selling  permits  of  exporta- 

13  tion,  and  by  other  improper  means  : 

1  Ihe  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America  do  enact, 

2  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  District  Attorney  of  the  Con- 


2 

Sf    federate  States,  for  the  western  district  of  Texas,  if  it  shall  ap- 

4  pear  that  a  case  has  arisen  to  which  the  judicial  power  of  the 

5  Confederate  States  extends,  to  institute  a  suit  or  suits   in  tiie 

6  Confederate  District  Court  for  that  district  against  such  parties 

7  as  he  may  deem   proper,  who  have  been  connected   with   any 

8  such  business  or  transactions;  which  suit  or  suits  may  be  in  the 

9  nature  of  an  information  in  the  name  of  the  Attorney  General, 

10  or  bill  in  equity  in  the  name  of  the  Confederate  States,  or  any 

11  other  appropriate  proceeding,  either  in  behalf  of  the  Confed- 

12  erate  States  alone,  or  in  behalf  of  the  Confederate  States  and 

13  such  persons  as  shall  come  in  and  prove  their  claims  in  such 

14  form  and  on  such  terms  as  the  Court  shall  prescribe  ;  and  in 

15  such  suit  or  suits  the  Court  shall  render  judgment  or  decree 
IG     against  any  parties  who  may  appear  to  be  liable,  according  to 

17  the  principles  of  law  or  equity,  in  favor  of  the  Confederate 

18  States  or  any  party  who  shall  come  in  as  aforesaid,  for  all  mon- 

19  eys,  property,  profits  and  damages  to  which  the  Confederate 

20  States  or  any  party  coming  in  as  aforesaid,  shall  appear  to  be 

21  entitled,  by  reason  of  any  thing  done  or  omitted  in  the  transac- 

22  actions,  business  or  affairs  of  the  said  cotton  bureau  or  cotton 

23  office,  or  by  any  officer,  ag^'-nt  or  other  person  when  acting  by 

24  virtue  or  under  color  or  pretext  of  any  authority  claimed  as 

25  aforesaid,  including  all  property  and  moneys  illegally  exacted, 

26  obtained,  received  or  detained,  and  all  property,  monyes,  gains 


3 

27  and  profits  acquired,  converted,  appropriated  or  held  contrary 

28  to  law  or  equitj,  whether  in  the  name  of  the  Confederate  States 

29  or  of  said  cotton  bureau  or  cotton  office,  or  otherwise. 

1  Sec.  2.  Neither  this  Act  nor  any  suit  lirought  in  pursuance  of 

•2  it  shall  (except  as  to  claims  adjudicated  or  pending  for  adjudi- 

3  cation  in  any  such  suit)  preclude  any  party  from  bringing  any 

4  other  suit  or  action. 

1  Sec.  3.     Ihe  District  Attorney  for  prosecuting  any  suit  here- 

2  by  authorized  to  be  brought,  shall  be  entitled  to  a  commission 

3  of  per  centum  of  the  money  recovered  therein 

4  and  collected  for  the  Confederate  States. 


4  1 '/. 


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